Success Stories(11)

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From Bruce Lee to the Hulk
Big-5 Workout Success

About two years ago (see
Success Stories #10) I reported on a simple body weight exercise program that
my son Joshua embarked upon after he told me that he wanted to have abdominals
like Bruce Lee. Recently, Joshua, now 15, started working out in a Planet
Fitness gym. In developing his resistance training program, I was informed
greatly by the recent book by Dr. Doug McGuff and John Little entitled Body
by Science. In this book, the authors advocate what they refer to as
the “Big 5 Workout.” The “Big 5” involves performing single sets to
positive failure (until you can no longer lift the weight in good form) on five
compound exercises: Leg Press, Seated Row, Pulldown, Chest Press, and Overhead
Press. The repetitions are performed slow, lifting and lowering, and there is little rest
between exercises. The workout takes 12 minutes or less. Workouts are
recommended once every 7 days. Let me share with you
Joshua’s progress after one month on the “Big 5". (Editor: Get these
results; they are truly amazing.)

After an introductory workout to
learn how to use the exercise machines, Joshua took all exercises in subsequent
workouts to positive failure (when he could no longer lift the weight he
continued trying to do so for another few seconds). He performed the
repetitions taking 3 seconds to lift the weight and 3 seconds to lower it. In
one month, March 2009, Joshua increased his strength by 150% on the Leg Press,
88.8% on both the Seated Row and the Pulldown, 85.7% on the Chest Press, and
120% on the Overhead Press (see the chart for the actual poundage increases over
the month). Even though a portion of these increases were likely
due to improved neurological efficiency in muscle fiber
recruitment, the magnitude of the changes in strength is remarkable (especially
when you consider that he was already quite strong from the bodyweight
exercises). As a function of the increased strength, Joshua’s bodyweight
increased from 128 lbs to 139 lbs.

Leg Press

Seated Row

Pulldown

Chest Press

Overhead Press

Workout #1

180lbs x 8 reps

90lbs x 8 reps

90lbs x 8 reps

70lbs x 8 reps

50lbs x 8 reps

Workout#4

450lbs x 8 reps

170lbs x 8 reps

170lbs x 8 reps

130lbs x 8 reps

110lbs x 8 reps

The accompanying
photos confirm that Joshua’s increased strength is translating into greater
muscular development. The greatest difficulty I am having, apart from keeping
enough food in the house, is restraining Joshua from working out more often. He
reasons, falsely, I believe, that since he has made such good progress working
out only once a week, then surely working out more often will produce even
greater gains. It takes constant reassurance and even some stern lessons in
logic to convince Joshua that high-intensity strength training stimulates growth
ONLY if the body is given sufficient time to repair and recover. He won't like it, but, as he gets stronger (and therefore taxes his bodies
recovery ability to an even greater extent), I may have him workout once
every 9-10 days. Moreover, eventually, when his gains in strength slow, I will
have to consider cutting the volume of the workout from 5 exercises to 3 (using
McGuff and Little’s Big “3” Workout: Leg Press, Pulldown, Chest Press).

The first time I saw Clarence
Bass was on the front cover of Challenge Yourself. My husband had bought
the book and thought it might interest me since I was looking into ways of
making our diet healthier and restarting my training routine. I remember being
amazed at the way Bass looked at age 60. How could this be? Well, the truth
seemed to be much simpler than I had expected. There were no gimmicks, no funky
diet techniques, just common sense.

That was ten years ago.
Although my road to fat loss and fitness has had its ups and downs, Clarence has
been there all the way through his books (my husband bought all nine), encouraging me to do what feels right.

Clarence is adamant about the
ownership principle--read, learn and
adapt. Read the details of his journey, learn the lessons, and then adapt the
parts that make sense to you into your
lifestyle, one step at a time.

I've never been one to follow
in someone else's footsteps. The combination of Clarence's sound advice and what
I feel is right for me has carried me through a wonderful journey. What is
remarkable is that each time I stray—and I do—Clarence’s books are always there
to guide me back onto my path.

Years ago, I thought I wanted
to be a body builder and did weight lifting for about 3 years, with very good
gains, but finally came to realize that my total enjoyment lies in activities
that require a combination of strength and endurance. I engaged in a variety of
physical activities, hoping to find one that fit into the strength and endurance
category, while providing a promising future based on my true abilities. At the
end of October 2008, I rediscovered indoor rowing (we have owned a Concept 2
Rower for a few years) and felt like a spark had been ignited. Again, Clarence
Bass was an inspiration. He was (and maybe still is) an avid Concept 2 rower.
The 5000 meter row was the first competitive distance I tried, landing me at #29
on the Concept 2 World Ranking List (Lightweight Women, 30-39). After a few
months of rowing workouts (walking on off days), I've managed to progress to
12th place. I hope to be in the top ten in a couple of months. So it seems like
I've found my sport.

On diet, I have also adopted
the ownership principle. Whole grains for breakfast have never agreed with my
digestion. My own “Old Reliable” is a delicious smoothie, make with kefir,
banana, frozen berries and flax seeds. I do, however, use whole grains, fresh
fruits and vegetables daily (Clarence’s latest breakfast combination). My
husband and I even invested in a grain mill a couple years ago, so that I could
have fresh, whole spelt flour for my bread making.

Clarence Bass has taught me,
amongst a host of others things, that you simply can't go wrong using fresh,
whole foods. I have also found that consuming “good fats” in measured amounts agrees
with my body.

I never tire of reading
Clarence's books. I read them over and over again! I was very lucky to receive
his latest book, Great Expectations from my husband for my 37th birthday
last year, along with two autographed pictures of Clarence Bass. Those photos
now hang in our office, over our Concept 2 rower. They are a constant reminder
that aspiring for good health and fitness is an endless and worthwhile journey!

My journey to good health and
fitness will always have its ups and downs, but I've never given up and don't
ever plan to. I'm happy to report that I am currently at my lowest weight since
my early 20s and feel very fit and healthy.

I look forward to my workouts, knowing that I don't have to
go all
out; I can leave some effort for next time—another good tip from Clarence
Bass' books (which he adapted from Bill Pearl), a tip which always improves my
performance at my next workout.

After years of
procrastination, I finally summoned up the courage to write Clarence Bass, my
hero, a fan mail. I'm glad I did.

The mission statement on his
website says: To inspire and help motivated people achieve lifelong
leanness, health and total fitness

Fifty and living in Sweden, I’ve been into physical
training for about 30 years, since the late ‘70s—running , weights and Chinese
Wushu (Kung-Fu). I really like to train and probably would call myself a
‘trainaholic,’ just love to train. Unfortunately, I started to get diffuse
problems with my joints and was diagnosed with bilateral osteoarthritis in 1995,
when I was 36. I had to have my left hip replaced in 1996. The rehab was tough;
I was on crutches for several months to allow the prosthesis to grow into the
bone. The final result was good, however.

My right hip also started to show signs of wear. I was
getting more pain and had to use a cane from time to time for support. I also
had to take painkillers. Furthermore, my right shoulder started to bother me. I
began to think I would never be able to train anything again. Doctors couldn‘t
really give me any advice, except to keep moving my hip to keep it flexible.

Eventually someone talked me into trying Chinese Qigong,
a form of exercise to promote healing. It seemed to help.
I started to practice, once, twice, even three times a day, inside, outside for
a year. Slowly my body loosened up. I developed balance, as well as some
strength.

I also went to an osteopath who helped me to stretch and
did some manipulations. I got to feeling so well that I returned to the gym,
beginning with some simple exercises and learning by trial and error what I
could and couldn’t do.

The fact that I could do some training again was very
encouraging. Training with weights was what I had always enjoyed most, so I
spent a lot time in the gym, feeling my way along and trying not to train too
heavy.

I also went to a podiatrist (foot doctor), who made
some inlays for my feet; he explained that an imbalance could contribute to the
wear in my hip. I soon noticed improvement in my feet and hips. My shoulder pain
was also relieved.

Now, after 12 years, my left hip replacement is working
perfectly; the last check showed absolutely no wear. My doctor was impressed
with the condition of my replacement—and how I have managed to preserve my other
hip.

My right hip (the natural hip) may have some small increase in wear, but
the function is better than it was ten years ago.

I have found that there are many things you can do to
protect and preserve the function of your hips. As related above, I tried many
things and learned as I went along.

I believe in movement. Even a damaged joint should be
worked—carefully, of course, to avoid pain. Water exercise is very good, riding an exercise
bike is good, and walking is almost universally recommended.

I‘m now doing what, for me, is a full weight training
routine. I usually go to the gym 3 days a week, trying to cover the whole body
in three workouts. For legs I do (after a general warm-up and some stretching) leg-extensions,
leg-curls, sissy squats [grasping a bar
or other support, with hips and waist straight, bend knees toallow body
to fallbackwards as knees come forward; isolates the lower quads without
flexing hips], squats with back supported against a rubber-ball, then again
stretching.

I also train Qigong as often as I can; it gives me energy
and balance, and in my opinion, is really good for the joints. If I didn‘t do
anything else, I would still practice Qigong. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong]

I was lucky that I like to train. I turned my rehab into
a full training program.

If you can get rid of most of the pain, half the battle
is won.

One crucial thing is to
moderate the pressure on the hip joint. Some pressure is good, but not too much.
The hip is a weight bearing joint, and heavy pressure is likely to cause wear
and tear, especially on a damaged joint. The other thing is to keep up
flexibility—riding a bike is good—doing exercises that keep the joint moving.
And yes, some weight training, carefully planned, is good, to keep the
surrounding muscles strong.

Above all else: Don’t give up.
If there is something you can’t do, try something else. Concentrate on what you
can do, not on what you can’t do.

Johan Nandelstadh

Johan—looking
muscular and thoughtful—in the gym with his wife, Liselott

A Truck Driver’s Story

On the Road to Fitness

I am an over-the-road, cross-country truck driver.
Forty-nine years old and sitting behind the wheel of an eighteen wheeler for
nine to 10 hours a day, and being away from home 10 to 12 days at a time,
you can imagine that a horrible cycle of inactivity and poor food choices could make
me unfit, unhealthy, and fat. The majority of truck drivers are just that,
overweight, inactive, and suffering from myriad ailments.

Not
only are we sitting most of the day, truck stop food is mostly buffet style and
truckers are notorious for eating only once or twice a day because of scheduled
deliveries. Eating proper portions does not enter into the average drivers
mind when he does get to finally sit down and eat a meal. Being away from home
and family, comfort food is on your mind, and lots of it.

Be that as it may,
I have found my way to a very fit lifestyle by using the principles in
Clarence’s books—and my own ingenuity.

I eat four small meals a day and
find a way to exercise almost every day. I drive a Peterbilt with a sleeper
behind the cab. There is plenty of room for two electric coolers and a microwave
oven. I can pull into any rest area, prepare and eat a healthy meal in 30
minutes. Here is what I eat every day (notice I am using Clarence’s uniform
eating plan).

Meal 2
One hardboiled egg (split) between two whole wheat tortillas (50 cal each),
along with chopped peppers and onions, mustard, grape tomatoes and bean sprouts
For dessert, I have .5 cup of fat free cottage cheese with .5 cup of chopped
cantaloupe or honeydew and a heaping tbs. of ground flax seed

[Editor: Note wide variety of
vegetables and fruit, and careful attention to seasoning, both very important to
eating enjoyment]

I am never hungry on this whole-food diet, but it’s quite a scene at home
the day before I leave on my next trip. My wife and I are chopping peppers and
onions, cutting up melon, cooking grain, boiling the eggs. Preparation is half
the battle.

Truck stops can also be a road block to exercise; they are quite often
situated outside of large cities, along highways where walking or running is
prohibited or unsafe.

I carry a couple of adjustable
dumbbells, which permits me to do a complete lifting routine. I have
also found wonderful and inspiring places along my travels for hiking or running.
For
example:

The rest area on top of Donner
Pass in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains is great place for a high altitude
hike--wonderful for your attitude.

I like to run on a stretch of
old route 66 in Arizona that runs parallel to Meteor Crater.

I have also climbed rock piles
in west Texas and Wyoming, and hiked the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania.

I make my home in a small town
where everyone knows everyone. It's a very friendly place to live and raise a
family. When I’m home, I love to walk around and checkout the parks or visit Main Street.

As you can see, I get around and try
to make the best of every situation. I have even found myself under
the trailer on a rainy day doing push ups and prone pull ups.

I started on this road to
fitness in 2002 when I felt myself living a little too loosely, as in too little
exercise and a lot of poor eating habits. With two of my children entering their
teens, I decided it was time to set a good example.

I pulled out some back issues of Muscle
and Fitness and reread some of Clarence’s columns from the early
nineties. I then found his web site and ordered some of his books, which
often
contain excerpts from other great books.

One in particular
was Dr. Ken Cooper’s classic Aerobics. I started running and found
that I enjoyed it. Cooper’s book has a fitness test where you see how far you
can run in 12
minutes. I persuaded my son and daughter to try it with me; they both did poorly,
while old dad was in the good category. They would have none of that, and
kept at it until they passed the test and then some. They both joined the track and
cross country teams in high school and have excelled. My daughter Stephanie is
now a three sport college athlete and Tyler made the varsity squad as a
freshman. With my youngest, Teague, nine, now lifting weights with me--it's one of
his favorite activities--Clarence's inspiration has reached two generations in
my family so far.

Dad, daughter Stephanie, and son Tyler, alongside
Steve’s magnificent new Peterbilt truck, make a happy—and very
fit—threesome.

Steve’s stats:

I have been at
this type of lifestyle for five years and counting. I have no problem dealing
with the stress of driving in heavy traffic in strange cities.

It's a little over a year
since I sent in my success story to Clarence Bass, and I still have the same solid,
common sense approach in place. As I mentioned in my
original story, this approach has accompanied me through over a decade of
training and goes hand in hand with my way of thinking. It's a lifestyle - a
long-term approach you build on day after day, celebrating successes, large and
small, along the way.

Weight: I'm now
about 2kg (4.4lbs) lighter than I was a year ago and one size smaller in
clothes. A year ago, my fat percentage measured on my Tanita body composition
scale was 24.6% (adult mode) / 19.6% (athletic mode). As of the 15th of May,
this year, the readings are 22.1% / 17.6. In addition to losing fat,
I have also gained a good amount of muscle. I would still like to lose a little
more weight, but I've come to the point where even my hardest critic (me) has to
admit that I look slender, with good muscle tone. [This is
excellent--sustainable--progress for someone who was already relatively lean.]

It's very
motivating to look in the mirror and see a body that reflects my healthy
lifestyle.

Meals: My meals have
varied slightly. For example, I now use soy milk in my breakfast smoothie,
instead of kefir. I'm still consistently eating a healthy diet. I enjoy what I
eat and look forward to each and every meal. Like Clarence, I often fine tune
what I eat, continually learning which foods work best for my body.

Training: I've had
some good results during the 2010 rowing season and managed to set new PRs in
all of my selected distances. The goal I set myself last year, to be in the top
ten on Concept 2's World Ranking for the 5000 meters, was accomplished. My
official place for the 5000m at the end of the 2010 season was 8th out of 100
entrants. Out of my six distances in the 2010 season, I ended up in the top ten
for five and in the top 25 for the hardest distance, the 2000m, which had a
total of 116 entrants. [Moving up across six distances took effort and
planning--a great example of using the performances of others to motivate
yourself to do your best. You don't have to win--come first--to be a winner.]

The 2011 rowing season has
just begun and I'm looking forward to new PRs in all of my distances.

I balance my rowing with off
days to ensure adequate recovery. I do mostly walking on off days, but have
done biking or running when the weather and my energy levels permit. I like the
variation these other activities add to my training.

I've recently added
Kettlebells to the strength aspect of my training and am already enjoying the
challenge this new addition brings.

Challenging Myself:
As Clarence said in his book Challenge Yourself, setting goals is a major
key to staying motivated. I thrive on the small successes. However, I've
learned that challenges can't be undertaken at the cost of the long term goal,
so I continue to value and respect rest days. If I'm too tired to give that
extra bit, I usually don't. If a muscle doesn't feel right (for example I
recently strained a back muscle indirectly through a non training incident) then
I back off for a while and lighten the training load. After all, my goal is be
active in training for the rest of my life, so knowing when to back off is as
important as being brave enough to push hard when the time is right.
[So true]

A friend of Bass mentioned
that people should start "running" and never look back. I totally agree.
Sometimes I've had to slow down, but I understand that the key is to keep going,
while setting realistic goals along the way.

Like Clarence Bass, I have
great expectations. I want to look good, feel great and challenge myself, year
after year. That's why the approach I've read, learned and adapted from his
books will always play a major role in my lifestyle.

Thanks once again, Clarence,
for giving me a lifetime of inspiration.

Your dedicated student,
Deborah Nyberg.

Checkout those abs. Sensible training and eating
are working beautifully. Way to go, Deborah!